The students of Wylie East Elementary had a baby giraffe take-up residence in their library this past week thanks to the creative mind and hands of their librarian, Shryl Martinez. Martinez said she was inspired by the packaging that came out of a moving box she had opened to create the life-sized, paper mâché animal.
“I saw the box and all the packing papers and thought, I’ve got to make something out of that,” said Martinez.
Now the students will decide via an election what their giraffe friend should be named. Six names have been selected to vote for with ballet boxes located by the library and in the front office. Possible names for East Elementary’s new friend are Solange, Patches, Kenya, Nala, Melman, and Zulu.
Kim Ferguson, the new assistant principal at East Elementary, said anyone who visits the campus is invited to cast a vote to name the baby giraffe using the ballot box in the front office. Over the next couple of weeks, the K-3 grades students will not only get to vote for the name but apply TEKS they are learning to chart and graph how the election is going.
Martinez said Ferguson was instrumental in connecting her creation to the ongoing learning activities the students will complete as they all come together to decide on the perfect name for their newly found friend.